Sliding guide



Dec. 8, 1964 M. H. ABERNATHY ETAL 3,160,443

SLIDING GUIDE Filed 001;. 3, 1962 INVENTORS,

MILES H. ABER/VATHY CHARLES H. BOWEN A TTORNEX United States Patent Filed Get. 3, 1962, Set. No. 228,264 2 Claims. (CL 3ll8--3.6) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment of any royalty thereon.

The present invention relates to an improvement in sliding guides for the drawers of equipment such as chests, dressers, desks and the like.

The guides of the present invention have particular utility in military gear, such as for example in supporting a chassis for radio equipment, or the like, in a cabinet wherein said chassis may easily be moved from and into said cabinet.

An important feature of the invention is the provision of a guide means for cabinets that can be readily standardized for all sizes of cabinet drawers. Such feature eliminates the need for stocking all the various types of hardware slides adapted for particular drawers.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a guide that can be mass produced, such as by extruding, at a substantial saving over the conventional hardware guides now utilized.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a slide or guide that is interlocked throughout its length when in both closed and in transit condition to furnish greater support and strength to the chassis or drawers being supported. Such feature affords considerable advantage over the commonly used roller slides and guides which have small contact and engagement surfaces.

Still another feature of the invention resides in the adaptability of the guide herein described to be provided with a hinge member whereby the drawer or chassis can be tilted as shown.

An object of the invention is to provide an easily workable sliding guide which can be extended or contracted with ease and which is rigid and without sag when in an extended position.

The above and further objects and novel features of the invention will be more fully apparent from the following detailed description when the same is read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a fragmentary part of the drawer guide element embodying this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view showing the manner in which the separate elements cooperate when in use.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view, partly in cross section which shows a drawer including the guides of this in vention.

FIGURE 4 is a view of a further embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 5 is a view in perspective showing the manner the guide can be hinged, and

FIGURE 6 shows the hinged guide in use on a drawer.

For a representation of one embodiment of the invention, reference is directed to FIGURE 1 of the drawing which shows one form of contoured slide or guide. In such embodiment the slide is made of an elongated ex- 3,16%,448 Patented Dec. 8, 1964 trusion of metal, generally designated as 11, having a flat underside surface shown at 13. The other surface is composed of a T slot 15 and a T section 17 characterized principally in that the slot 15 and the section 17 are adjacent to each other and that the slot and the section have a common wall 19. Another characteristic of the slide section 11 is that the serpentine curve along the entire slot 15 and the section 17, that is, the bounds forming the limits of said portions, are radically symmetrical about the center point in the common wall 19.

For use as a sliding guide, an elongated section, such as shown as 11, is cut into two equal sized lengths designated as 11a and 11b. Such separate lengths can be nested by rotating one of the sections relative to the other and sliding one length into the other. As can be seen from the drawing, the T section is slightly smaller than the T slot so as to enable the section 17 to be slidably engageable within the slot 15. To insure facile sliding of the section 17 within the slot 15, the slot may be provided with any desirable lubricant. Such lubricant may be in the form of a powder, spray, or permanent film. The use of any one form of lubricant will in most instances be determined by the environmental conditions in which the guide may be used. In the specific embodiment shown, such medium is in the form of a permanent film 21 that covers the surface of the T slot 15. It is to be observed that when two sections such as shown and described herein are nested, as shown in' FIG. 2, one of the sections is positioned relative to the other section in a manner analogous to that of an inverted mirror image.

The manner in which such a guide and slide is used is shown in FIG. 3 which portrays a cabinet section 23 and a drawer 25. To the side walls of the cabinet are secured lengths of the guide 11a and corresponding lengths of guide 11b are secured to the drawer 25 so that such lengths of guide nest as shown in FIG. 2. It is obvious that the discrete lengths of the guides 11 are to be provided with limit stops. Since such stops form no part of the invention herein they have not been incorporated into the drawings herein. FIGURE 4 shows another arrangement wherein a pair of guides 11 are aifixed to the base portion of a cabinet section. In such arrangement the mating guidesections will be secured to the underside of a drawer.

In many military usages it is necessary that a drawer and a component therein be tilted outwardly from the cabinet within which it is confined. In such instances a split and hinged guide such as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 may be used. FIG. 5 shows such a guide composed of two portions which are relatively pivotable to each other by means of a hinge 27. FIG. 6 shows such hinged guide in use, wherein the drawer 25 has aflixed to the under-,

side thereof the forward halves of a pair of hinged guides. Although there has been shown and described only one modification of the invention, it will be understood that variations in the contour and shape of the guide specifically as to the interfitting slots and sections may be made, and are within the contemplation of the invention as set forth in the annexed claims.

What is claimed is: I l. A supporting slide comprising a mating pair of identical elongated members, each of said members being of a cross section comprising a T slot and an adjacent 3,160,448 3 4 section of a size sufficiently smaller to fit within the References Cited by theExaminer slot of the other member and wherein one surface of UNITED STATES PATENTS 1e T section is also the side of the adjacent slot.

2. A supporting slide comprising a mating pair of 8521115 4/07 f' 3O8 3 1 1 1 t d e be h f b b 2,504,347 4/50 01301111611 308--3 en me e onga e In In rs eac 0 $211 mem ers emg 5 2,683,068 7/54 Beeck -6 f a cross section comprising a T slot and an adjacent T action of a size sufiiciently smaller to fit within the T .ot of the other member, one surface of the section being FRANK SUSKO Prlmary Exammer [so the side of the adjacent slot and wherein the T ROBERT C. RIORDON, Examiner. .ot and T section of each member form a serpentine 10 arve which is radially symmetrical about the center of 1id common surface. 

1. A SUPPORTING SLIDE COMPRISING A MATING PAIR OF IDENTICAL ELONGATED MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID MEMBERS BEING OF A CROSS SECTION COMPRISING A T SLOT AND AN ADJACENT T SECTION OF A SIZE SUFFICIENTLY SMALLER TO FIT WITHIN THE T SLOT OF THE OTHER MEMBER AND WHEREIN ONE SURFACE OF THE T SECTION IS ALSO THE SIDE OF THE ADJACENT SLOT. 